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Computer of the Future – Student Respones

In my last post, I pointed out the often humorous predictions of future technology. I also shared a fake image created to make past predictions of today’s technology seem even more far-fetched. Having shared that image with my students (who were quite surprised to learn the image was fake), I used the “computer of the future” writing prompt. Starting with the ENIAC, and then moving to UNIVAC computers, we talked about how computers have changed in size, shape, and function. They were especially amused to learn that their parents’ cell phones are more powerful than one of the first computers ever made, the ENIAC. We talked briefly about what technology looks like today as they were quick to describe the abilities of Game Boys, cellphones, laptops, and other handheld computers. Here then are a chosen few examples of what 6th graders in Benton Harbor, Michigan think computers will be like in 20 years.

The computer from the future is going to be able to fold up so you can put them in your pocket I think or you are going to be able to have them so they will go when you click the button and there will not be no responds when you log in you should already be in so they will be able to download stuff without waiting 5 minutes they should only take 30 seconds they should be able to go on to the internet without any problem and you should be able to have as many gigabites in your computer as you want to have and they only cost a dollar for one million.

-Johnathon

About 20 years in the future, I think that comuters will be the size of a notebook (ones that you write on, not laptops) and you will be able to have the internet for free. When you close it it will be the size of te palm of your hand. And these are these are the biggest computer’s that will exist then. Most of them will hold a lot of info. and the power will last for 33 hours. It will be like the ones we have today. They will also have programs like you type in music and your computer gets it-without being online. But other than that there won’t be much of a difference.

-Danielle

I think in 80 years they will have chips that you can put in your brain and you can access the internet and anything computers can do plus more.

-Shane

In the future I think computers will be expensive. I think they will be expensive because they will have more and better features. I think they will be expensive because they will be small and about 2 pounds. They probably will be hand-held, or portable and smaller than an eye of a chimpanzee. There is no telling of what computers will look like or what they will be able to do.

-Raija

I particularly enjoyed Raija’s comment (pronounced Ray-shu) about having no idea what computers will look like. A nice humble thought, although I thought Shane was on to something with the chip inserted in the brain.

That’s a pretty nice nice site. True, it’s a bit more than my students need to know in any of the classes I teach, but it would be great for a computer lab teacher doing a unit on how computers work. Far too many students have no clue what makes a computer tick, and many of them would benefit from understanding just how small and delicate computer components can be.

I am currently enrolled in an online class that’s titled “Computers in Education.” Throughout the whole course we have been discussing technology in the classroom and how it affects student learning. This week the topic of discussion is the future of computers. In your blog you stated that you were discussing how computers might change in the future – I think that if we are able to use Blackberrys and cell phone as a means of communicating, planning, and datebooking – shouldn’t they allow us to use them as a word process also? I think that palm pilots are also a near future gig for online commucation – they will have wireless adapters that will act predominantly as laptops currently do. Computers have dropped dramtically in price, especially in the last 10 years. It is amazing to see how far we have come thus far and how far we can continue to advance.